Can Artificial Intelligence Save the Environment?

A year ago, if you’d asked me, “Can an AI chatbot autogenerative system help protect our environment?”, I would have said, “What?” Today, we are all familiar with platforms like ChatGPT and the promising potential of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

AI could provide significant benefit to our environment. It could help predict the probability of a fire outbreak and better monitor deforestation; optimize the grid to accelerate a clean energy transition; develop new chemistry around materials to find the next breakthrough in solar photovoltaics or batteries; measure global carbon sinks and sources; improve vehicle efficiency with self-driving cars; create species identification systems to track and predict endangered species; and even contribute to ocean plastic cleanup, and much more.

At ACES, we employ technology to advance conservation where appropriate. We remotely monitor soil moisture and local river flows. We use eBird to track neotropical migrant bird species. We are creating an online library of our regenerative farm practices to share with farmers anywhere. We created Colorado’s Forest Health Index to monitor long term drivers of forest health across all forested watersheds in the state.

The potential environmental benefits from technological innovation are noteworthy, but as of today, we still have not solved climate change (global carbon emissions have continued to increase 1.1% annually over the last decade and are now at 52.8 GtCO2e/yr). Our oceans still are not protected (only 2% are preserved as ‘no take’ areas and nearly 50% of coral reefs have died from bleaching). Our waste systems are still linear with plastic pollution choking our waterways (51 trillion microscopic plastic pieces, weighing 269,000 tons, are in the ocean, and it’s projected to triple by 2060). Fragile habitats are still being lost (we lose 11.6 million acres of forest habitat per year). Living species on the planet are disappearing at alarming rates (estimated at 1,000 times the background extinction rate). And, we still operate in an economy that is powered 80% by molecules (oil, gas, coal) and only 20% by electrons.

Scientifically speaking, we have the ability to protect our environment, but, sadly, we don’t have the collective will to do so. And we won’t create that desire without having a profound connection to nature, a connection to each other (community), and basic ecological literacy. This is where ACES comes in.

And, at the Catto Center at Toklat we show how the simple act of walking barefoot silently through a forest can affect how one views the world.

Technology has its rightful place. But, non-fungible tokens cannot capture something as unique as a columbine along a trail. Machine learning has yet to open someone’s heart to nature or foster community spirit.

And, AI cannot replicate the biodiversity that lies within one handful of soil that contains 20,000 species of bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and micro-arthropods that provide the ecosystem services for plant growth and, thus, all life on earth.

Connection to nature is where the will to balance human needs with the natural world is born. That is what ACES does best.

Chris Lane Chief Executive Officer

rocks, a surprise can be found!”

And off we go, bounding through the snow, using our eyes and ears to search for clues of the creatures that live beneath the snow at Hallam Lake.

ACES community programs combine environmental science education with outdoor exploration, transforming the local environment into a community classroom. With the outdoors as our classrom, we provide relevant, engaging, and exciting program opportunities for participants of all ages. Many participants in ACES programs explored Hallam Lake as toddlers, joined summer camp as kids, volunteered as educators-intraining, became ACES naturalists, and now have kids of their own in our programs. ACES programs evolve as participants age, instilling and reiterating the importance of environmental stewardship.

The playfulness fostered through these programs encourages lasting relationships with nature as participants share in immersive and informative experiences outside. From summer camp to birding outings, 5 nature–inspired art classes to wild yoga, to seasonal meals at Rock Bottom Ranch, our staff, visiting experts, and

On my morning bird walks around Hallam Lake, I am inspired to ask who the feathered characters of this morning’s story are, and what they are doing. When will the Osprey return to its nesting grounds? What is that new bird song echoing across the lake? Is the Wilson’s Snipe still in the stream near the platforms? These questions ground me in my relationship with this place. They help me learn about my “neighbors.” This is what we seek to do in connecting our community members with their natural environment.

Over the past nine years, ACES has become more than just a place of work to me: it is a community of people dedicated to the education and preservation of the natural world we love and need for a vibrant future. It is the relationships I build that keep the smile on my face and my energy returning year after year, alongside the joy of planning our program offerings and discovering the magic of our natural world.

ACES is the epitome of the understanding that what you put into a community is what you get out of it. At its base, our organization is built on relationships. We—staff, board members, visitors, partners and members—are rich with new ideas, lifelong learning experiences and enthusiasm. I learned at an early age that a strong community, both culturally and in the ecological sense, is much more than a peer group—it includes a mix of ages, backgrounds, interests, and expertise, all of which make a community a home. I am excited for the future of ACES community programs, and to continue to share the stories of this wild place we call home!

About Our Community Programs

Our community programs dive into the world of discovery and storytelling. Our landscapes tell us stories and illustrate the role humans and animals play within them. From geologic mysteries to forest adventures, participants of all ages explore the relationships between humans and landscapes through observation, adventure, games, and storytelling. Everything is interconnected! Through discovering these stories, participants answer the question, “How can we be the best stewards of our land and community?”

Standing under the blue spruce tree sheltering Arin’s rocks, another purple fairy bag hides in the snow next to the engraved Blue Heron. Inside is another note.

“You have found us in our magical realm where we dance, play, and eat!

Keep exploring the world under the snow, and we look forward to surprising you next week!

We hope you can create your own fort or kingdom under the snow, see what magic comes your way, and what animals say hello!” 